Mail-box.



W. J. RYLAND.

MAIL BOX.

APPLIOATION FILED D50. so, 1913.

1, 1 28,529, htented Feb. m5.

2 SHEET3SHEET 1.

, gland THE NORRIS PETERS 00., PHOTOJJTHQ. WASHING roN. Dv-r' W. J. RYLAND.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEL-0.30.1913.

1,128,52Q Patented Feb.16,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. 3

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHora-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. b.

FFECE.

WILLIAM JAMES R'YLAND, OF BUCKHANNON, WEST VIRGINIA.

MAIL-B OX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. to, rare.

Application filed December 30, 1913. Serial No. 809,504.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, \VILLIAM J AMES RY- LAND, citizen of the United States, residing at Buckhannon, in the county of Upshur and State of \Vest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mail boxes, the primary object of my invention being the provision of a mail boX which may be readily opened to permit withdrawal of mail and as readily closed and looked after the mail has been removed.

A further object of my invention is to provide the mail box with a closure of such type that when unlocked it will immediately swing to open position and in so doing form a chute to discharge the mail into a mail sack held in proper position beneath the box.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a lock for normally holding this closure in closed position, this look consisting of a combination spring catch and pad lock so arranged that upon removal of the pad lock, the spring catch may be automatically released to permit opening of the closure, and further so arranged that upon manual swinging of the closure to closed position, the catch will automatically hold the closure in place while the pad lock is being applied.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of guard wings at the sides of the closure which prevent scattering of the mail during its discharge from the box and which also serve as a means for limiting the swinging of the closure to open position. In this connection I provide means for preventing injury to the mail by these wings during operation of the closure.

WVith these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of mail box, showing my improved closure applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional View of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, illustrating a slightly different form of closure construction, the closure in Fig. 4 being shown in open position; Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the mail box, the position of the closure shown in Fig. 4 being there disclosed in dotted lines; Figs. 6 and 7 are views corresponding to Figs. 4- and 5, respectively, illustrating a still further modified form of closure construction.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the Views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Although it will be understood that the improvements embodied in my invention may be applied to mail boxes of practically all types, I have illustrated the same in connection with one of the commonest forms of mail boxes in which the mail box is indicated as a whole by the numeral 10 and includes a substantially rectangular-shaped body portion having a front wall 11, back wall 12 and end walls 13. The box, at its upper end, is closed by an extension or hood 1a, which is usually formed integrally with the body of the box and in which is a mail receiving slot 15 normally closed by a swinging lid or closure 16 of the usual well known type which prevents access to the box when open as well as when closed. As the above described portion of the mail box is of conventional form, no further description of the same is deemed necessary.

In place of the usual integrally formed or permanently secured bottom I. provide a bottom 17 which is hingedly connected at 18 to the lower edge of one of the end walls 13 of the box, this end wall being preferably extended a slight distance, as shown in Fig. 2 to facilitate this hinging movement and to permit the remaining edge portions of the bottom to engage against the lower edges of the opposite end and front and back walls of the box. The bottom 17, at its free end, is provided with a slot 19 and exteriorly with a cap or housing 20 covering the slot.

Secured by its upper end to that end of the mail box adjacent the free end of the closure 17, is a leaf spring 21, the lower end of which is formed with an outwardly directed hooked terminal 22 adapted to extend through the slot 19 and to engage against the forward portion of the closure when the latter is in raised position, this hooked terminal seating in the cap or guard 20 when the 'closure is locked, the

natural resiliency of the spring serving to accomplish this latching or locking of the closure. I

That end wall 13 of the box to which the spring 21 is secured, is provided with a slot 23 -through which passes the bight portion of a staple 24: secured to the intermediate portion of the leaf spring 21. As will be seen, inward pressure directed against the bight portion of this staple will serve to release the spring catch 21 and permit the closure 17 to fall to open position by gravity. The closure may be normally locked to protect its contents against unauthorized persons by means of a padlock 25 of any suitable type, the eye portion 26 of which is passed through the bight portion of the staple 2 1. The pad look, when so placed,

edges of the wing portions will strike against the inner face of the end wall 18 of the mail box to prevent further swinging movement. In order to avoid all likelihood of injury to the mail matter contained in the box, through movement of these wings in opening and closing the box, the front and rear walls 11 and 12 of the box are preferably formed doubled or with a lining 29 in order that the wings may work in the space thus provided and between the walls and the linings thereof. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and any further description is therefore unnecessary. 1

It will of course be clear that with mail boxes of large size or mail boxes-which are commonly well filled, the shock exerted upon the end wall 13 by striking of the guard wings of the closure thereagainst .upon opening of the closure will be con- 'siderable and may result in injury to the mailbox. For this reason I have provided additional means for limiting the swinging movement of the closure. For instance, in Figs. 1 and 5 I have provided pins 30 which pass through arcuate slots 31 formed lining and the rear wall and its lining.

in the wings of the closure and about the hinged edge thereof as a center, the pins extending between the front wall and its t will be clear that these pins do not project into the body of the mail box proper and therefore in no way interefere with the reclosure.

moval of inail. V Vith this construction, the

strain or shock caused by opening of the closure is taken up partially by the front wall of the mail box and partially by the engagement of the pins against the upper ends of the slots 81.

In Fig.6 I have illustrated a still further form of stop in which the forward edges of the wings, instead of being slotted, are cut-away arcuately as shown at 32 to bear against stop pins 33 corresponding to the stop pins 80. The wings are provided adjacent their upper ends with stop shoulders 3 1 which engage the pins 33 when the closure is swung to proper open position and thus serve to limit further movement'of the It will of course be understood that either form of stop may be employed or that the mail box may be constructed but slight description of the same is neces sary. Any mail matter to be collected is inserted in the mail box in the usual-manner through the slot 15, being adequately protected by the protective lip or closure 16 and the lock closure 17. An authorized. collector, when emptying the box,' first unlocks and removes the pad lock 25 and then, holding an open mail sack in proper position under the box, presses inwardly upon the staple 2 1- to release the spring catch 21. The weight of the swinging closure 17, together with any mail matter which may be in the box, is suflicient to swing the closure to fully open position under which circumstances, the mail matter will pass along the closure into the waiting sack, the do sure. with its wings, serving as a chute to properly guide and direct the mail matter from the box to the sack. It will be thus seen thai all mail is automaticallydis charged into the box and need not in any way be handled bylthecollector. As soon as the box is emptied, the collector swings the bottom of the box to closed position when the catch 21 immediately engages it to hold it in place, while the pad lock 25 is applied. 7

The above described box is simple in, construction, efficient in operationand of great value as a time saver as it maybe 7 opened as quickly as any other type of box now in use and when once opened automaticallv discharges its contents.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A mail box including a body member open at its lower end and provided in one wall with a slot, a closure swingingly secured to the lower end and provided adjacent one edge with a slot, a spring latch mounted within the body member and having a terminal adapted for passage through the slot of the closure to lockingly engage the closure when the latter is in raised position, a staple member carried by the spring latch and movable through the slot in the wall of the mail box, and a padlock engageable in the staple to lock the latch against movement 2. A mail box including a body member open at its lower end, a bottom forming closure hingedly connected to the body member, a spring catch for automatically holding the closure in raised position, and means for limiting the swinging movement of the closure, said means including guard wings carried by the closure and adapted to engage the body member of the box when the closure is moved to open position.

-3. A mail box including a body member having end walls and doubled front and rear walls, a closure hinged to one of the end walls, wings carried by the closure and movable between the parts of the front and rear walls, a pin extending between the parts of the'front wall, and a pin extending between the parts of the rear wall, said pins being adapted to engage the wings to limit swinging movement of the closure.

4. A mail box including a body member having end walls and doubled front and rear walls, a closure hinged to one of the end walls, wings carried by the closure and movable between the parts of the front and rear walls, a pin extending between the parts of the front wall, and a pin extending between the parts of the rear wall, said pins being adapted to engage the wings to limit swinging movement of the closure, the wings being cut-away to provide stop shoulders engageable by the pins.

5. A mail box including a body member having end walls and double front and rear walls, a closure hinged to one of the end walls, wings carried by the closure and movable between the parts of the front and rear walls, said wings being adapted to engage one of the end walls when the closure is moved to open position to limit the swinging of the closure, and additional means for limiting swinging of the closure.

6. A mail box including a body member having end walls and double front and rear walls, a closure hinged to one of the end walls, wings carried by the closure and mov able between the parts of the front and rear walls, said Wings being adapted to engage one of the end walls when the closure is moved to open position to limit the swinging of the closure, and additional means for limiting swinging of the closure, said means including pins extending between the parts of the walls and engageable by the wings to relieve the end wall of a portion of the strain.

7. A mail box including a body member open at its lower end and provided adjacent one edge with a slot, a spring latch mounted within the body member and provided intermediate its length with an extension normally projecting through the slot, and a closure swingingly secured to the lower end of the body member and automatically engageable by the free end of the latch when swung to closed position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JAMES RYLAND. LL. 8.]

Witnesses:

C. WV. RYLAND, F. B. MCLAURIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

